38 U.S. Code § 1923 - Veterans’ Special Life Insurance

(a)Insurance heretofore granted under the provisions of section 621 of the National Service Life Insurance Act of 1940, against the death of the policyholder occurring while such insurance is in force, is subject to the same terms and conditions as are contained in standard policies of National Service Life Insurance on the five-year level premium term plan except

(1) such insurance may not be exchanged for or converted to insurance on any other plan;

(2) the premium rates for such insurance shall be based on the Commissioners 1941 Standard Ordinary Table of Mortality and interest at the rate of 21/4 per centum per annum;

(3) all settlements on policies involving annuities shall be calculated on the basis of The Annuity Table for 1949, and interest at the rate of 21/4 per centum per annum;

(4) all premiums and other collections on such insurance and any total disability provisions added thereto shall be credited to a revolving fund in the Treasury of the United States, which, together with interest earned thereon, shall be available for the payment of liabilities under such insurance and any total disability provisions added thereto, including payments of dividends and refunds of unearned premiums, and for the reimbursement of administrative costs under subsection (d).

(b)Any term insurance heretofore issued under section 621 of the National Service Life Insurance Act of 1940, may be converted to a permanent plan of insurance or exchanged for a policy of limited convertible five-year level premium term insurance issued under this subsection. Insurance issued under this subsection shall be issued upon the same terms and conditions as are contained in the standard policies of National Service Life Insurance except

(1) after September 1, 1960, limited convertible term insurance may not be issued or renewed on the term plan after the insured’s fiftieth birthday;

(2) the premium rates for such limited convertible term or permanent plan insurance shall be based on table X–18 (1950–54 Intercompany Table of Mortality) and interest at the rate of 21/2 per centum per annum;

(3) all settlements on policies involving annuities on insurance issued under this subsection shall be calculated on the basis of The Annuity Table for 1949, and interest at the rate of 21/2 per centum per annum;

(4) all cash, loan, paid-up, and extended values, and, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, all other calculations in connection with insurance issued under this subsection shall be based on table X–18 (1950–54 Intercompany Table of Mortality) and interest at the rate of 21/2 per centum per annum;

(5) all premiums and other collections on insurance issued under this subsection and any total disability income provisions added thereto shall be credited directly to the revolving fund referred to in subsection (a) of this section, which together with interest earned thereon, shall be available for the payment of liabilities under such insurance and any total disability provisions added thereto, including payments of dividends and refunds of unearned premiums.

(c)The Secretary is authorized to invest in, and the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to sell and retire, special interest-bearing obligations of the United States for the account of the revolving fund with a maturity date as may be agreed upon by the two Secretaries. The rate of interest on such obligations shall be fixed by the Secretary of the Treasury at a rate equal to the rate of interest, computed as of the end of the month preceding the date of issue of such obligations, borne by all marketable interest-bearing obligations of the United States then forming a part of the public debt that are not due or callable until after the expiration of five years from the date of original issue; except that where such average rate is not a multiple of one-eighth of 1 per centum, the rate of interest of such obligations shall be the multiple of one-eighth of 1 per centum nearest such average rate.

(d)

(1)For each fiscal year for which this subsection is in effect, the Secretary shall, from the Veterans’ Special Life Insurance Fund, reimburse the “General operating expenses” account of the Department for the amount of administrative costs determined under paragraph (2) for that fiscal year. Such reimbursement shall be made from any surplus earnings for that fiscal year that are available for dividends on such insurance after claims have been paid and actuarially determined reserves have been set aside. However, if the amount of such administrative costs exceeds the amount of such surplus earnings, such reimbursement shall be made only to the extent of such surplus earnings.

(2)The Secretary shall determine the administrative costs to the Department for a fiscal year for which this subsection is in effect which, in the judgment of the Secretary, are properly allocable to the provision of Veterans’ Special Life Insurance (and to the provision of any total disability income insurance added to the provision of such insurance).

(3)This subsection shall be in effect only with respect to fiscal year 1996.

Section 621 of the National Service Life Insurance Act of 1940, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (b), is section 621 of act Oct. 8, 1940, ch. 757, title VI, pt. I, as added Apr. 25, 1951, ch. 39, pt. II, § 10,65 Stat. 36, which enacted section 822 of former Title 38, Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans’ Relief, and which was repealed and the provisions thereof reenacted as this section by Pub. L. 85–857, Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1105.

1974—Pub. L. 93–289, § 2(a)(1), substituted “Veterans’ Special Life Insurance” for “Veterans’ special term insurance” in section catchline.

Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 93–289, § 2(a)(2), substituted “all premiums and other collections on such insurance and any total disability provisions added thereto shall be credited to a revolving fund in the Treasury of the United States, which, together with interest earned thereof, shall be available for the payment of liabilities under such insurance and any total disability provisions added thereto, including payments of dividends and refunds of unearned premiums” for “such insurance and any total disability provision added thereto shall be on a nonparticipating basis and all premiums and other collections therefor shall be credited to a revolving fund in the Treasury of the United States and the payments on such term insurance and any total disability provision added thereto shall be made directly from such fund” in cl. (4).

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 93–289, § 2(a)(3), substituted “all premiums and other collections on insurance issued under this subsection and any total disability income provisions added thereto shall be credited directly to the revolving fund referred to in subsection (a) of this section, which together with interest earned thereon, shall be available for the payment of liabilities under such insurance and any total disability provisions added thereto, including payments of dividends and refunds of unearned premiums” for “insurance and any total disability provision added thereto issued under this subsection shall be on a nonparticipating basis and all premiums and other collections therefor shall be credited directly to the revolving fund referred to in subsection (a) and payments on such insurance and any total disability provision added thereto shall be made directly from such fund” in cl. (5).

Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 93–289, § 2(a)(4), repealed subsecs. (d) and (e) which related to the payment of dividends from the excess funds in the revolving fund, and to the transfer of funds from the revolving fund to general fund receipts in the Treasury.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 85–896, § 1(1), redesignated former subsec. (b) as (c) and substituted “equal to the rate of interest, computed as of the end of the month preceding the date of issue of such obligations, borne by all marketable interest-bearing obligations of the United States then forming a part of the public debt that are not due or callable until after the expiration of five years from the date of original issue; except that where such average rate is not a multiple of one-eighth of 1 per centum, the rate of interest of such obligations shall be the multiple of one-eighth of 1 per centum nearest such average rate” for “not exceeding the average interest rate on all marketable obligations of the United States Treasury outstanding as of the end of the month preceding the date of issue of this special obligation”.

Effective Date of 1974 Amendment

Pub. L. 93–289, § 12(1),May 24, 1974, 88 Stat. 173, provided that: “The amendments made by section
2 [amending this section], relating to Veterans’ Special Life Insurance, shall become effective upon the date of enactment of this Act [May 24, 1974] except that no dividend on such insurance shall be paid prior to January 1, 1974.”